At a vote in Singapore next week the slightest of margins may decide which city will host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has said he expects a margin of as few as five of the approximately 115 votes to determine the host city.

Rogge said that the candidate cities of Paris, London, Madrid, Moscow and New York make up the most impressive list of prospective host cities the committee has ever had to choose from at this point in the selection process. He added they are all very capable of hosting the games.

Sentiment is that this vote will be similar to the one which determined Sydney would host the 2000 games. Sydney won that decision by two votes over Beijing, which later won the vote to host the 2008 games.

Once the voting process begins, one city will drop out during each round of voting until a candidate city receives an overall majority of the committee's votes.